Is NDP best positioned to address healthcare issues?

A poll which ran recently suggests 36 per cent of the 1,000 people surveyed believed NDP’s Andrea Horwath was most committed to improving the province’s health-care system. Roughly 20 per cent of respondents said PC Leader Doug Ford was most committed, while just 14 per cent of those surveyed said Premier Kathleen Wynne is most committed to improving health care.
It’s the same faith put in her by with doctors, nurses and other health professionals. A full one-third of respondents consider her to be the most capable leader.
Ontario scored only slightly better than the Canadian average, with just 41.4 per cent of respondents saying they could get an appointment with their primary care provider on the same day they called or the next.
The same survey showed that 44.2 per cent of Ontarians believed their last visit to the hospital emergency room was for something that could have been treated by a family doctor. What’s more, 60 per cent of Ontarians said accessing primary care at night or over the weekend is either “somewhat” or “very” difficult, which experts point to as a key reason why people misuse emergency services and clog up resources meant for those in urgent need.
When it comes to healthcare, Ontarians are concerned about which leader can and is willing to deliver on the kind of commitment the issue requires.